Story Of A Girl
by Satori
Summary: The Reikai Tantei have gone their seperate ways. Now Shuichi Minamino and his childhood best friend, Satori, must forge futures. Satori discovers that she isn't just a normal ningen girl and Shuichi isn't exactly what he seems.
1. Rooftop Explorations

" 'Ey! Shuichi-san! Wait up!" I called to my redheaded friend. He stopped and turned to wait for me. I caught up to him and we continued walking. 

"Did you want to ask me something, Tori-chan?" My friend asked in his calm, low voice.

"Yeah, uh, I was wondering if you, uh, wanted to come over to do homework?" I replied, my voice calm though the cracking of my knuckles gave away my nervousness. Shuichi, acting on instructions from my mom, slapped my hands so that I stopped ruining my knuckles. His hand lingered on mine for a millisecond longer then was needed before he answered, 

"Yeah, sure Tori-chan." He smiled at me, using my nickname from when we were little, and I ducked my head before smiling back. 

"Great! Let's go." We walked up the sidewalk to my house and through the front door to my room. We left our backpacks on the floor and went downstairs again to get milk and a snack before walking outside. We stopped right outside, looked at each other for a second, and then suddenly raced for the swings in my backyard. 

"I get the middle swing!" I yelled and plopped down on my chosen swing. 

"Hey! No fair!" Shuichi 'whined', "You got it last time!" 

"So?" I looked up at him innocently.

"Fine then." He answered and sat on the other swing, pretending to sulk. 

"You'd think that after…10 years, we'd get tired of 'arguing' over swings, but it never gets boring, does it?" I said. 

"Yeah, I guess, but you're right, it _doesn't_ get boring." He laughed and I started swing back and forth. 

We finished the snack and went inside to start the homework. Since we were both A students, the work was reasonably simple and we soon finished. I moved from my place on the floor to a curled up position on my bed. Suddenly, I had an idea. 

"Hey! Wanna go up on the roof again?" I offered. When we were younger, he and I had climbed up onto the roof to get away from my annoying parents. 

"Good idea! Do you think the vines will hold us?" He answered. 

"I hope so. There's only one way to find out." I said, and smiled. We got up and rushed outside to see if it would work. Luckily for us, the vines on the side of our house had grown stronger, "I'll go first." I said and Shuichi nodded. He laced his fingers together to make a foothold for me and I put my hand on his shoulder. I put my foot in his hands and pushed myself up. My hands reached the rooftop and I pushed up and crawled onto the roof. I crouched down and reached down to help Shuichi up. 

We sat quietly for a while, watching the clouds pass. After a while, I rolled onto my stomach and Shuichi did the same. We ended up with shoulders touching, his face inches from mine. I blushed and sat up quickly. An uncomfortable silence followed and I stared down at my hands. _That was idiotic_!  I thought. I realized that my heartbeat was much faster then usual, but I wasn't sure why. 

I looked over at Shuichi, he looked a little confused too. I stood up and stretched 'accidentally' making a distance of a few feet between us. I sat down again, and we talked about school for a while, then lapsed into silence. 

"I should probably go home." Shuichi said, finally. 

"No! I mean, yeah, I guess so. You're mom's probably getting worried." I turned red at my outburst and looked down, letting my hair fall in front of my face so he wouldn't see my blush. I couldn't see Shuichi, but I heard him get up, his feet scraping on the roof-tiles. 

Suddenly, a hand cam down and brushed my hair behind my ear. I looked up in surprise and saw Shuichi standing over me. 

"You shouldn't keep your hair down like that, it hides your pretty face." He said. 

"Th-thanks." I stuttered, smiling at him. He helped me up and we said goodbye easily now that the tension was broken. Shuichi climbed down and I watched him leave, still able to feel his hand on my ear. At the end of my street, he stopped and turned back to look up on the roof. I waved and he waved back. 


	2. Transformation

The week went on and I didn't see Shuichi except in the halls. When he did see me, he would wave and other junior girls in his class and sophomore girls like me, glared at me jealously. I didn't know he was so popular! I thought, surprised, as girls shot daggers at me (with their eyes, duh) on one of these instances. My friends pestered and teased me about him, asking who my boyfriend was and cracking stupid jokes. I usually rolled my eyes and told them, for the billionth time, that he wasn't my boyfriend. One day, they were teasing me again and I wasn't having the best of days. I got frustrated and yelled at them, "I don't like him, kuso!" They all stared at me then pointed to something behind me. I turned and a sinking feeling filled my stomach. Shuichi stood there, eyes wide. I could tell he knew who my friends had teased me about. His gaze turned to me and what I saw in his eyes shocked me. He was looking at me with hurt, love, and disbelief in his eyes. I winced and looked down. All around us, life went on, people rushed to their classes, chattering about their lives. I envied them then, the simplicity of their lives grated against my nerves, like sandpaper. Suddenly, it was all too much and my eyes filled with tears. I dashed out of the building, pushing people out of the way and not even caring that I was going to get in big trouble for cutting class. I got out the door and stopped for a second to breathe in the crisp air, my eyes closed. "Satori! Wait!" A voice broke the fragile peace and I suddenly started and ran on. Away from the school campus and through the fields surrounding it. I ran on and on, tears blearing my vision and a pain in my side making my breathing ragged. Finally, I stopped because I felt that if I went any further, my lungs would burst and my heart would stop. I walked around slowly, taking in big gulps of air, my eyes now completely dry, having run out of tears while I was running. I looked around and realized that I had no idea where I was. Smooth move, Satori! I berated myself. Now what? I shrugged in answer to my thought and sat down in between two huge roots of a tall pine tree. Being tired as I was, I fell asleep quickly, snuggled against the tree. Had I been awake, I might have heard the rustle of bushes as something approached, but maybe not, since youkai don't make noise.  
  
* * * *  
  
I awoke to a gently shake on my shoulder. My eyes opened slowly and I shifted position as I tried to remember where I was. Being tired as I still was, it took mea few seconds to realize that there was someone in front of me. When I saw who that someone was, I shrieked and jumped up. br The.person.in front of me looked pretty human, besides the ears, fangs, tail and silver hair. He was a little taller than I was and wore traditional Japanese clothes. He had long silver hair, white fox ears, a silver tail, and little fangs. His pale face was calm and slightly cold, with golden eyes that stared at me unnervingly. br "Who-who the hell are you?" I said, trying to act calm, but my trembling voice betrayed my fear. Well, sure, of course I see fox-boys every day! I thought sarcastically. "Do you mean who, or what?" He replied in a calm and frighteningly cold voice that matched his face. "I don't.I don't know. Why don't you tell me both?" I answered, unsure myself of what I wanted to know. "Fine, Satori. I am a youko, or demon. My name is Kurama." He answered. "How do you know my name?" I demanded. "I know many things about you, that is just one of them." He answered haughtily. "Sure." I crossed my arms, "Okay, then what do you want with me?" "I was watching you. You're a fascinating ningen to watch." He answered, walking around me, as if inspecting me. "Hey! I'm not just some random thing to be toyed with!" I yelled at him. He went on as if he hadn't heard me. "Do I seem somehow familiar to you? As if you've met me before?" He asked tentatively. "Huh?" I asked, caught off-guard from my tirade, "No, of course not! I'd remember some silver-haired, fox-eared, deranged Fox-Boy!" I practically screamed. "Ha! You do remember! Or at least Fa-Nari does. That's what she used to call me.before.Fox-Boy, but how can you remember that?" He mused. "Fa-Nari? Before what? What's going on?" I cried, very confused. "But you wouldn't remember, would you?" He asked in a slightly mocking voice. "Remember what? Damn you, tell me!" I tried to control my anger, but I was really curious now as to what he was talking about. "Are you sure you want to know? Many dangers come with knowledge. You may regret it later, but once I tell you, there is no going back to your old life." Kurama said, now completely serious. "Well.what kind of dangers?" I asked, not sure whether I wanted to know. "That I cannot tell you. But know this, you will never be alone." He answered mysteriously. "Fine, tell me. What's all this about? Who's Fa-Nari? And who are you really?" "Ah.very hard questions to answer. First, 'this' is about theft. I need a new youko partner to help me since Hiei.left. You are Fa-Nari. Not exactly, she is your youko form. Fa-Nari and I were partners before Hiei came and took her place. I am, like I said before, Kurama, a youko thief. Make sense Satori?" Kurama explained. "I-I think so.if this is a dream, please don't pinch me. So I'm a youko named Fa-Nari?" When he nodded, I gathered up my courage and asked my final question, "Can you teach me to.turn into.Fa-Nari?" I asked. "Of course. It's not very hard. Just imagine the transformation. You'll know what she looks like in your head. Just concentrate on her. It should work." He glanced at me to see if I understood. I nodded and closed my eyes, thinking of nothing. Then, an image popped in front of my closed lids. I was so surprised, I almost opened my eyes, this young woman was one I had dreamt about many times. The young woman with long black hair, black ears, and golden eyes stood in my mind's eye. She had a pale face with little fangs in her sensitive mouth and a thin, but strong body. She wore a black dress wit slits on the sides to allow more leg movement. Underneath the dress, she wore snug black pants. She walked around barefoot, with confidence I envied. Abruptly, the image vanished and I opened my eyes, wondering if something had gone wrong. Instead of being Satori, the shy, small, black-haired girl, I was now Fa-Nari, the confident, tall, still raven-haired young woman. "Nari-chan, it's been so long." Kurama breathed. I looked down at my retractable claws and didn't know what to say. I stretched instead, feeling my honed muscles flex, "It's good to be free of that ningen body." Kurama nodded and we sat down to discuss our next theft in Makai. 


	3. Makai

We decided on a place to meet tomorrow before leaving for Makai and went our separate ways. I returned to ningen form and tried to find my way home. Finally, I found a main road and followed it to my school. School was long out when I got back, but Shuichi was there waiting for me. I grimaced, expecting a yelling match, even though my best friend didn't yell, but he waited for me to catch um to him then walked on without a word. A familiar smell drifted past me. It smelled of pine, like the pines I had just been in. I sniffed the air and Shuichi looked at me funny. I stopped sniffing and tried to look innocent. "I.I'm sorry for saying that today. They just wouldn't leave me alone about you." I apologized, ending lamely. "I know. I guess I should have known that you didn't like me.you know.like that." He said sadly. I looked up sharply, "I, well, you see, I didn't.I don't know how to say this but.I didn't mean what I said in the hall." I looked down, blushing. Now it was Shuichi's turn to look up quickly, "What do you mean? When you said you didn't like me, that was a lie?" I bit my lip, but nodded, "Yeah.it was." I said sheepishly. "I.well, the fact is, I.uh, this is the most pathetic thing I've ever said and I wish I could say it in a different way, but, I like you too." Now he blushed. I looked at him in astonishment and he met my gaze. I smiled, really not knowing what to say. This little exchange had gone on while we were sitting on a secluded bench in a park. Now Shuichi pulled me to him and kissed the top of my head. I snuggled against his chest and once again breathed in pine. How can he smell of pine if the only pine trees around here are in the forest I ran to? I sighed and decided to think about this later. Right now I wanted to enjoy this moment. I realized I'd wanted to do this for.who knew how long. After a while, we got up and walked to my house, hand in hand. We said good- bye and I went inside, glowing. My mother met me right inside. "You're looking happy, Tori-chan. Something special happen today?" She asked, smiling. "Nothing really. I'm going to do my homework." I said, acting nonchalant. I went upstairs, into my room, and closed the door. I started my homework but couldn't concentrate. After a few minutes, I gave up and went to the window. The night air and moonlight called the youkai in me and I decided to see what I could see from the point of view of a youko. I transformed quickly and leaped out the window, grabbing onto a tree and swinging up, silently. I stretched again, loving the feeling of being so powerful and strong. I jumped again and landed on top of a building, carefully. I jumped around over buildings, completely silent. Finally, I reached an open area outside of the city limits and I landed on my feet. I wonder what kind of fighter I am? I decided to try out all kinds of martial arts I had only seen professionals execute to see if I could do them too. I amazed myself with the extent of my fighting skills. This could be fun! I thought as I continued with my exercises. Abruptly, I heard something land behind me. Really, I thought scornfully, If you're going to sneak up on someone, do it silently! I swung around without warning and lashed out with my foot. Everything happened so fast, I didn't have time to think about it. My reflexes set in and I began to attack my assailant. Most of my blows hit home and I heard little grunts and heaving breathing each time I connected solidly. This is pitiful! I thought as I flipped my attacker onto their back and put my foot at their throat. "Now, who are you?" I asked in a cold voice that surprised even me. When they refused to answer, I put a little of my weight into my foot and the person grunted, trying to get air, "Well?" I pressed. My eyes focused on the person's face and I saw as clearly as if it were day. The man had a slightly pudgy face and a big scar ran through one eye. A few teeth were missing and his eyes were big with fright. "What's wrong? Never seen a youko before?" I mocked him, a contemptuous smile on my face. He shook his head. "Who sent you?" I said, suddenly ferocious. He shook his head again, refusing to answer. I pressed harder with my foot and he gasped for air again. "Well? Ready to talk?" I asked again and he remained silent. Suddenly, he disappeared and I fell to the ground, unbalanced. I looked around in surprise, where had he gone? I waited for the man to return but he didn't. "K'so! Ojiisan no baka!" I yelled, but no answer came. Suddenly, something swung down from a tree behind me. I whirled, ready to fight again, "Finally! This time I'll kill you old man!" I called. The only answer was a laugh, which seemed familiar somehow. "It's just me Nari-chan." I recognized the voice, Kurama. "Oh, hey Fox-Boy." "Who's 'old man'?" He asked, coming closer. "Just now, some man appeared behind me. I beat him up, but he wouldn't tell me who he was, who sent him, or anything. He just shook his head." I explained. "And? Where is he now?" "Oh. He just disappeared. I don't know how, but one second he was there and I was threatening him, the next he was gone and you came." I replied, perplexed. "Hmm.I'll have to think about that, I don't know of any youkai or tantei who can disappear.except.but no, he would have beaten you easily, and his style isn't really disappearing, it's more like lightning movement." Kurama thought out loud. "Hey! I'm not that weak!" I protested. "He would have beaten me too." Kurama answered calmly, "So it can't have been him. I really don't know. I'll get back to you tomorrow. Goodbye, Nari- chan." "Good night Fox-boy." When I got home, I fell asleep quickly- after finishing homework, of course.  
  
The next day passed quickly. Nothing interesting happened and I went home to finish my homework. I waited impatiently for that evening, researching youkai on the Internet until it was time for me to leave. I transformed and ran quickly to the spot where I first met Kurama. This time, even though it was a great distance, I wasn't even breathing hard when I reached the pine tree. Kurama came silently soon after I got there. We didn't say a word, in case someone was around and happened to overhear. He met my eyes and we nodded at the same time. I understood that he would explain later. Kurama walked out of the clearing and I followed. Finally, we got to the gate between Makai and Ningenkai. It definitely wasn't what I had expected. Instead of some gate with a whirligig of colors, gilded with silver and gold designs, the only thing I saw was another clearing. Kurama took out a slim knife and sliced the air in front of him. I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow skeptically. My eyes opened wide as I saw the sliced air part and we were looking into a vortex of blackness and silver dots. "Hurry! It'll close soon!" Kurama exclaimed and grabbed my wrist. I thought about arguing but Kurama jumped into the passageway before I could do anything, pulling me in after him. The gate between the worlds closed behind us and I didn't look back. 


	4. Thief

We finally stopped whirling around in the gate and landed in a little room no bigger than a closet. I sat up first and held my still-whirling head. 

"Are we in Makai?" I whispered as soon as Kurama sat up. 

"Yes. Before we go any farther, we'll need to change to youkai form. This part is very much like the change from ningen to youkai, just you picture something else. Wait for the picture to appear in your mind then concentrate on it as long as you can. The change should be brief." He answered in an equally quiet voice. I nodded and closed my eyes for the second time that…night? Day? I wasn't sure. 

The image came quickly this time as well. My youkai form was a fox like Kurama's but smaller, and black. Instead of his red eyes, mine were the same gold as in my humanoid form. I also looked more like a real fox than he did, and I only had three tails. 

I concentrated on the sleek-furred youkai in my mind's eye and slowly, the change took shape. No bang or puff of smoke, just, one minute I was Fa-Nari the fox-girl, the next I was Fa-Nari the fox-youkai. I decided I liked my fox-girl form the best, but this one was better than the constricting ningen body of Satori's. 

When we were both ready, we left the shelter of the little closet and slunk stealthily towards our target, an ancient moonstone of immense power. Down a dark corridor we crept, ever closing in on our goal. The room we peeked into was dark, not windows. At the center of the room was a stand with a cushion on it.  On the cushion was our little moonstone. A glass case went over that and there were pressure pads on the floor that would explode when touched. Lasers criss-crossed the room as well. 

"Oh, boy," I whispered, "Now what?" 

"Watch." Was all he said. I shrugged and answered, 

"I'm watching." 

With a nod, he jumped into action. I was about to follow but then remembered his orders and sat down to watch. The fox-demon twisted around the pressure, going very quickly, and under the lasers, jumping in between them sometimes if they were too low to wriggle under. _How does he do that? _I wondered. 

He got to the moonstone quickly and without misshape. Then, he turned in my direction and jerked his head to the side, as if to say 'come'. I nodded and tried to remember how Kurama had done it. I stepped gingerly out onto a safe surface and, when I didn't blow up, kept going. I almost ran into a laser, but I stopped just in time. 

I got halfway through the obstacles when it happened. I had tucked my tail between my legs so it wouldn't brush against anything, but my balance was worse without it. I had stepped a little off balance and I started wobbling. I realized that I was about to fall and explode if I didn't let my tail free. 

So I did. I immediately righted myself, but I'd forgotten about the lasers. As soon as my tail came out, just as I had expected, it brushed against a laser and set off the alarm. 

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" the loud sound bounced on the walls and doubled back on us. I winced, feeling very stupid. 

"Let's go!" Kurama shouted. I winced again and followed him away from the room with its flashing lights. Behind us, we heard the stomping of boots and cursing voices. We got to out little closet and dove inside. 

After returning to youkai forms, Kurama took out the knife. He didn't say anything until we landed in the clearing. I sat down, upset, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mess up." I apologized, my head down in shame, "It was a stupid mistake." 

"I agree. It was stupid," Kurama answered coldly, "But it was also stupid of me to expect you to do perfectly on your first mission- and without training as well. We'll start tomorrow." When I looked up at him blankly, he knelt down and knocked on my forehead, smiling, "Your training. Earth to Fa-Nari." I blushed, feeling stupid again. 

"Okay, then. I'll see you tomorrow." I got up and left, reverting to human form before I went to bed. 

*                 *                       *                       * 

The rest of the week went on uneventfully. Kurama and I trained every night into early in the morning. I acquired many many new bruises in record time. But, I improved greatly each session. In the beginning, I could only last a few hours before being exhausted. By the end of the week, I was almost Kurama's equal. 

I was worn out when I got home every night…or morning, but I did my homework, got up on time, and kept my grade at an A. My mom, who worked late and left early in the morning, only knew that I was doing my homework and being a good little girl. 

Finally, one Saturday about three weeks after the Makai incident, I beat Kurama. It only happened once, but I could tell I was ready to try another mission.

"So, Fox-Boy, am I ready for our next…expedition?" I asked proudly.

"I'd like to say no, just to annoy you, but, yes…you're ready." He answered with a smile. 

"Yes! What are we…borrowing…this time?" Kurama smiled when I said 'borrowing'. 

"This time it's crucial that we get the object, it's not for us. Last time was child's play compared to the security that going to be on this one. Do you think you can do it? I can go alone if you-" 

"Hey! I thought we were partners!" I gulped before finishing, "Of course I'm going- I don't need you to look after me!"

Kurama smiled, "Good. I was hoping you would say that Nari-chan." 

"Then what are we waiting for, Fox-Boy!" I grinned. We were halfway to the Clearing of the Gate when I suddenly stopped in my tracks, "Wait. I forgot something: what are we stealing?" Kurama burst out laughing,

"It's called the Ishi Tamashii no Kaia. Kaia was a great, powerful demon. When she was caught, her soul was imprisoned in a stone so that she could never exist in Makai peacefully. She is in Reikai even now, and will stay there unless we get the Ishi Tamashii from the ningen who are in charge of it. Which is why we aren't going to the Clearing. Come on, follow me." Kurama turned and walked in the opposite direction. _Well, how could I know? _ I comforted myself.

We left the pines behind and now leapt from building to building. When we finally reached the right building, Kurama showed me how to get onto a windowsill and get in through a window unnoticed. We got in quickly, our bare feet not making a sound on the cold tiles.

To my surprise, instead of the building being a high-tech hideout, a place looked like a simple office building. _Nice way to hide the place_, I thought. We walked past countless cubicles until we reached one office that seemed to be surrounded by light and colors. It looked impenetrable, but Kurama walked right through the wall. I gulped and followed.

Inside the office was a desk and a bookshelf, both covered in papers. I stepped forward to investigate but was stopped by Kurama's hand on my shoulder.

"Don't touch anything. It's all rigged." He whispered. I nodded and narrowed my eyes, trying to see the traps. Finally, I was them. Everything was covered in special material that would set off an alarm to alert the fighters waiting. _Boy am I glad he stopped me!_ I thought, not wanting to even contemplate what would have happened if my partner hadn't stopped me.

We walked to the end of the office and stopped in front of the computer.

"This is where your job starts. In ningen form, you're a computer whiz, as Fa-Nari, you're even smarter. Let's see if you can get us in. Remember, one wrong move and we're both dead." I nodded and sat down at the computer. _One wrong move, Fa-Nari, don't forget,_ I reminded myself. _First relax,_ I decided, and closed my eyes, leaning back in the chair. When my legs stopped shaking, I opened my eyes and put my hands over the keyboard. _Here goes nothing!_ I thought and started typing, my fingers flying over the keys.

Much later, I sat back with a sigh of relief, "There, I'm done." I announced.

"Good. No problems?" Kurama asked, and I shook my head, no, "Then let's go." I got up and followed him through a door that had been revealed in the wall.

The hallway we entered was dark, but my eyes adjusted quickly and I was able to see the many doors lining the walls.

"Now what?" I asked from behind Kurama.

He shrugged, "I guess we choose a door. Wrong door, we die, right door, we go on to the next level."

"Level?! Like a game? It's just luck now? Are those ningen crazy?" I whispered, afraid if my voice got any louder, I'd be shouting, which would be bad.

"Guess so." He answered.

"Guess so means yes? Yes to which question?" I answered with a smile.

"All of them."

I rolled my eyes but followed him down the hall. Each door glowed a different color as I passed it, and I wondered what this could mean. When Kurama passed doors, they seemed to glow, but different colors than mine.

Suddenly, Kurama stopped and I bumped into him from behind. I looked around his shoulder, wondering why we had stopped. Big surprise- we'd reached a dead end.

"And now what?" I asked when he turned around.

"Now we choose a door."

"Well, why don't we have a lottery?!" I said sarcastically.

"Now is not the time for that, Nari-chan. See if you can pick a door from its color." I bent my head, rebuked, then started walking around, keeping a foot between the door and me. I turned around, just in time to see Kurama reach out his hand to touch the door in front of him.

"Don't touch the doors!" I yelled and tackled him, breaking the spell on him. We landed on the floor and rolled before stopping. I rubbed my arm ruefully, where I could feel a bruise forming, "Thank you for flying Fa-Nari Tackling Plane. Please exit the plane quickly and without shoving. We have had an emergency landing because of technical difficulties. Thank you again, and have a nice day." I mimicked a flight attendant voice and Kurama laughed.

"Thanks. Why can't we touch the doors?"

"If we touch them, it means we chose that door. What was so special about that one anyway?" I inquired.

"Oh. I saw…I mean, it was…it was nothing." He stumbled over his words and I looked at him, frowning. He looked down, refusing to meet my gaze. I sighed in frustration and got up, helping Kurama up as well.

"Well, let's pick a door then. Which one?"

"Hmm…what's your favorite color?" He smiled as I stared at him.

"That's it?! My favorite color?! Fine, it's…black."

"If we ever get out of this alive, I'll make sure to get you a black stuffed animal for your birthday." He answered and walked down the hall, looking for a black door. When he found one, he waited for me to catch up.

"Well? This is it, huh Fox-Boy?"

He nodded and I we reached our hands out simultaneously. As our fingers brushed the door, a bright light came from the cracks at the edges of the door. I shielded my eyes with my free hand, squinting to keep out the light.

The next time I opened my eyes, I was in another corridor, except there wasn't a beginning  or an end to this one. In front of me, the corridor went on for a few feet, then turned to the right. I didn't bother looking back, knowing that it would look the same.

"This is a maze…" I said wonderingly, then I realized that I might never get out, "YOU GOT US STUCK IN A MAZE!! FOX-BOY, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" I yelled.

"Hey! It was your favorite color!" He answered, holding up his hands in defense. I growled but decided it wasn't worth my time to argue. I leaned against a wall to think. I had been in a big maze at the Renaissance Faire several years ago, and I had gotten out first, even though I was only eight then. Closing my eyes, I tried to remember how I'd gotten out.

"Wait. I think I know how to get out of here," I said, still trying to remember, "Seven years ago, I was in a similar maze and I managed to get out because I'd read a book about mazes. I'm trying to remember how…I think it had to do with keeping your hand on a wall the whole time, but I can't remember which hand, which wall, and if it'll even work on every maze." Frustrated, I turned to Kurama and shrugged.

"Hm…I think it's the right hand that'll get us out fastest." He replied after a moment. We stood in the middle of the corridor and put our hands out to the right and started walking forward.

_Please let him be right._ I prayed as we twisted and turned along the maze.


	5. Riddles

We wandered around for a long time, I lost track of hours towards the beginning. I got dizzy, staring at the same wall for so long. My hand turned red and blistered, but I refused to take it from the wall. We were going okay, no dead-ends or surprises when I turned the corner and walked straight into a wall. I shook my head to clear it of the ringing and turned to glare at my chuckling companion,  
  
"Well? Now what? We got it all wrong!"  
  
"Yes, we did something- wait. Maybe we didn't." Kurama started running his hands over both walls, checking for.something.  
  
"What are you looking for?"  
  
"A switch, lever, or button for"  
  
"Why would we need something like that?" I interrupted him.  
  
"I was going to tell you but you stopped me." He answered calmly.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Anyway, we're looking for the switch or whatever it is to open the wall. I have a feeling that this isn't just a regular wall."  
  
"Ooooooh!" I said, understanding. I took one wall, he took the other and we ran our hands over every inch, "I can't find anything, but I know you're right." I complained to Kurama as we sat for a break.  
  
"I know I'm right too, Nari-chan, but I haven't found." He stopped talking and put his chin in his hand, thinking.  
  
Suddenly, I had an idea, "Wait! What if the button was."  
  
"On the wall!" We exclaimed simultaneously. I got up, invigorated by the idea, and rushed to the dead-end wall. Finally, after searching and searching, we found a little panel that, when pressed, popped open to reveal a little blue button.  
  
"Be careful," Kurama warned, "We don't know what's past the maze."  
  
"I know. Who pushes the button?" I replied.  
  
"You can."  
  
"Fine, Fox-Boy-- but if I die, it's your fault." I joked and pushed the button. With a hiss, the door lifted and we looked into a very curious room.  
  
The area was humongous, I could hardly see the opposite wall, and filled with lava. A few feet in front of us was a stone platform with a large star carved in the middle. A few feet past that was another platform with a sun carved on it. Past that was a moon-platform, then a few others whose emblems I couldn't see.  
  
At the very end of the room was the biggest platform, made of stone. I squinted and just managed to make out a stand with something on it. I looked around the room and was amazed to find that there were no traps, no security alarms, nothing. The creators of this place obviously didn't think anyone could get past the lava. What they hadn't counted on was a pair of youkai thieves.  
  
I grinned at my partner, "This is gonna be fun." He smiled back and we leapt onto the first platform. Immediately, a loud voice spoke,  
  
"What is greater than God, worse than the devil, rich people need it, street urchins have it, and if you eat it, you shall die?"  
  
"What?!" I yelped, "Now we have to solve riddles too?!"  
  
"Shhh!" Kurama hissed, "It'll think that's the answer!" My eyes widened and I clapped my hands over my mouth, and then closed my eyes to think. As we stood there, big brass doors appeared at the end of each platform.  
  
"I think I've heard this one before." I whispered, trying to remember, "Oh! It's nothing! The answer's nothing!"  
  
"Good," Kurama whispered back, "Now say it out loud."  
  
I did and the door opened. We backed up and ran forward as fast as we could, then jumped. I soared through the air, but suddenly I was falling too soon! I looked in panic towards the other side and saw that I couldn't possibly make it.  
  
Suddenly, strong arms gripped my by the waist and I felt myself being pulled up into the air again. Whoever had saved me and I finally landed on the bank of the other side. I sank to the ground, weak with relief. Finally, I looked up to see who had helped me across. Kurama stood over me, frowning. I hadn't expected that. Unexpectedly, he crouched and hugged me hard. I sat there, stunned, for a second, then awkwardly hugged him back.  
  
"What was that for?" I asked curiously.  
  
"Don't ever scare me like that again!" He scolded me and I grinned, "It's not funny!"  
  
"Okay, I'm sorry." As if I meant to! I stood up slowly and the same voice spoke again, "Never thirsting, ever drinking Clad in mail, never clinking Thinks an island Is a mountain Thinks a fountain is a puff of air. So sleek, so fair!"  
  
I glared at where I imagined the voice came from. "How are we supposed to- wait. That reminds me of." I tried to remember where I'd heard the riddle before, but it wasn't clicking.  
  
"A few years ago, you took an AP Class in Literature and they had you read The Two Towers, do you remember?" Kurama whispered and I stared at him.  
  
"How did you know that?" I demanded suspiciously.  
  
He looked down, "Never mind, that isn't important, but the point is that.I talked to someone in that class and he mentioned this riddle. I think I remember the answer, he told me. Let me think."  
  
While he said this, my mind had drifted to another subject. If I have a human form, why shouldn't he? I wonder who it is? Will he tell me, if I ask him? I doubt it; he was pretty secretive about everything before.  
  
"Nari-chan? Are you listening?" Kurama asked and my mind snapped back to the present.  
  
"Yeah, I am now anyway." I smiled as he rolled his eyes. "Can you remember the answer? See, I was listening."  
  
He heaved a sigh and I stuck my tongue out at him. "I'm almost there, just let me think."  
  
I shrugged and sat down, twisting my hair around my finger.  
  
"I remember!" Kurama exclaimed. I jumped up and clamped my hand over his mouth,  
  
"Shut up, remember?" I hissed, giving him my best death glare. He smacked his forehead and I removed my hand. "What do you remember? What's the answer?"  
  
"Hm." He pondered, trying not to grin, "Should I tell you?"  
  
"Tell me, Fox-Boy, do you want to die?" I asked in a pleasant voice.  
  
"Not quite yet, thanks."  
  
"Then tell me! Otherwise, we're gonna die here!"  
  
"Fine, then." He answered in a mock-hurt voice, "No need for violence, gosh! The answer is fish."  
  
"Fish. You aren't serious?!" I practically yelled, but remembered just in time not to.  
  
"Quite so."  
  
I rolled my eyes, but shrugged, "Whatever. Then say it out loud. And if we both die, it's your fault-again."  
  
He smiled and said the answer in a loud voice. The doors opened and we jumped again. This time, I made it without assistance.  
  
  
  
And so, we went through all the other platforms, and luckily, made it through. At the last platform, the loud voice spoke again,  
  
"The beginning of eternity  
  
The end of time and space  
  
The beginning of every end,  
  
And the end of every place."  
  
I stared at the door as if that was where the voice had come from, although, in truth, the voice had come from all around me.  
  
"What kind of riddle is that?" I whispered and Kurama waved his hand at me, signaling that he was thinking. I rolled my eyes and sat down. I started writing out the riddle randomly when an idea struck me. I hurriedly finished the riddle and stared at it intently. I swear, if I think any harder, I'll be able to hear the gears in my head whirring! I thought as I imagined the gears.  
  
Hm.what do they have in common? Letters? The number of letters? What could.Wait! I looked over each line separately, and an idea began in my mind. 


	6. Kaia

I know I recognize this from somewhere! Hm.there was a riddle Miyoshi told me once. "Once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in one thousand years" And the answer was the letter 'm'. Could this be like that? I looked at the riddle again, reading it carefully for allusions like that.  
  
"The beginning of eternity  
  
The end of time and space  
  
The beginning of every end,  
  
And the end of every place."  
  
I realized that it worked for the letter 'e'. I beckoned to Kurama and quickly explained my idea. He frowned at where I'd written the riddle and then his eyes widened, "You're right, Nari-chan! I knew you'd figure it out."  
  
I smiled and said the answer out loud. There was a loud rumbling sound as the door through which we'd jumped slowly fizzled out of existence. I stared past it as I saw the other doors disappearing as well. I shivered, getting the feeling that we wouldn't be getting off this platform, either for a while or ever.  
  
The stand I'd seen-I realized that I didn't know how long we'd been in this immense room-appeared in front of us, with a pearly white stone set on a black pillow on top.  
  
"Is that the Ishi Tamashii no Kaia?" I asked in fascination. Kurama nodded and moved to pick it up. The second his finger touched the stone, a large section of the platform fell into the lava below us. I gulped as I imagined the stone disintegrating, then the stone was replaced with my partner and I. I almost threw up.  
  
"I think you should put the stone down, Fox-Boy," I whispered. He frowned but put it down. Another piece of stone fell into the lava and I closed my eyes. I'm going to die here, I know it. And.I never even said good-bye, to everyone, but especially Shuichi. I sighed and Kurama put his hand on my shoulder.  
  
I tried to smile, "Now what?"  
  
He shrugged, "I guess we could try to release Kaia and have her help us, but there really isn't any telling what she'd do."  
  
"Eh.do you know how to release her?"  
  
"That's the problem. I'm not sure, but I think I read about her before.before you came along. There was some royal library and I found an interesting book about youkai there."  
  
What does he mean, 'before I came along?' Does he mean when he was working with Hiei? I nodded, thinking. As we stood there, another block fell off and made a large splash. A bit of lava hit my arm and sizzled. I cried out and tried to shake it off as Kurama attempted to help me. The drop of lava fell to the ground, but the skin was raw and blackened.  
  
"Well, that'll leave a scratch," Kurama joked as I winced in pain. He placed his hand over the wound and a pale green light flowed from his hand to my arm. New skin grew over the injury, but there was still a scar. I smiled at my partner gratefully, what would I do without him? I wondered and shuddered.  
  
"Well, try whatever you think will work on Kaia's stone. I'll just pray." Kurama grinned and I tried to smile. How can he smile now? We're both going to die, and our treasure with us! I sat down again as Kurama moved off to one side.  
  
I heard him muttering something and he closed his hand over the stone. A bright light flashed from in-between his fingers and sweat appeared on his forehead. I could see that he was growing weaker, and a black void had appeared in front of him. I realized that the void was where Kaia would come out of, and it wasn't big enough. Kurama was weakening quickly. I crossed the small space to him and put my hand on his shoulder, giving him whatever power I had. A small smile of relief crossed his face and then his brow furrowed with concentration again.  
  
Come on, you can do it. I repeated in my head, urging him on even though he couldn't hear it. The void opened a little more and my partner started swaying. I gulped and pushed more power into him. I felt, more than I heard, a certain click and I took it to mean that I had run out of magical power and now I was feeding him my life force. I shook my head and pushed the clicking out of my mind. It doesn't matter, as long as Kaia gets out. If I die, I gulped; at least Fox-Boy will be okay. She can help him.  
  
I saw a few black spots and realized that it was really getting dangerous. I slapped myself to clear the spots and kept giving him my power. The void opened completely and a little kitten was dumped, quite unceremoniously, out of it. I cut off the flow of my power and vaguely saw the void close before everything went black.  
  
  
  
I woke, who knows how much later, to Kurama shaking my shoulder, a worried look on his face, and the kitten digging her claws into my ankle. I swatted at her and she jumped away with an indignant mew.  
  
"Good, you're awake," Kurama observed with relief as I sat up, "Lesson number who-knows-what: NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!!!" He yelled. His cry echoed around the room and another block of stone collapsed into the lava pit.  
  
I winced, "Sorry, Fox-Boy, I--"  
  
"I'm not done yet, don't interrupt." He barged in, crossing his arms. Who's interrupting who, Fox-Boy? I mused as he yelled at me.  
  
"Nari-chan, it doesn't matter if I'm going to die, you NEVER, EVER EVER EVER give me your life power like that! Do you understand me?"  
  
I rolled my eyes and nodded, "I just wanted to help."  
  
"Not like that!"  
  
"Fine, whatever!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Er.excuse me, do you think we could postpone this pressing argument?" A polite young voice cut into our 'argument'. I looked around, wondering where it had come from.  
  
"Down here, if you don't mind." A little nip at my ankle sent my gaze downward and I saw the little kitten. "Hello, I am Kaia. I believe you two set me free. Thank you."  
  
I stared at the little white kitten with a pink bow tied around its neck in amazement, "You-you can't be Kaia! She's supposed to be a fearsome demon! You.don't exactly look the part." I finished lamely.  
  
"I believe this is a slightly more harmless form of Kaia's, am I correct?" Kurama asked from behind me.  
  
"Quite so. Very clever of you, kitsune." Kaia answered with approval in her voice, "Should I choose to appear more frightening, I promise you, you would be quite alarmed."  
  
I tried not to laugh at the thought of this innocent looking kitten attacking and defeating so many demons. What would she do, nip at their heels until they ran away crying?  
  
"Things aren't always what they seem, Nari-chan," Kurama whispered in my ear, almost as if he could read my thoughts. I shrugged it off.  
  
"Hey, Kaia, then, do you think you could get us off this platform, it's kind of collapsing." As if to prove my point, another slab of rock disappeared into the bubbling red liquid beneath us.  
  
"Hmm.I believe I could try." With that, a pale blue light surrounded Kaia, flowing over her like another skin. Soon, the light disappeared and Kaia wasn't quite the kitten she had used to be.  
  
Instead of looking like a kitten, she was now a large phoenix. Flames licked her body, flowing from her like sunspots. I squinted and shielded my eyes as her pure light washed over us, filling us with calm. Her great wings spread a long way, and her body was large enough for both of us to sit on her comfortably.  
  
"Climb on, youkai, so we may leave." I got on her back and Kurama climbed on after me. He slipped his arms through mine to hold onto Kaia as she took off. Just as her feet left the platform, the last little island of stone collapsed into the hungry lava and sank beneath the surface. We heard a rumbling and I twisted, trying to see behind me.  
  
The far end of the room had begun to collapse, starting with the platforms, then the walls, and finally the roof.  
  
"Kaia! You have to get us out of here, now!" I cried and the demon nodded her great head. She began flapping her wings furiously, propelling us forward swiftly. She was going so fast that we were both thrown back, and only Kurama's hold on Kaia kept us from falling off.  
  
I suddenly realized that Kaia was heading straight for a wall, and she didn't seem to realize it because her course never wavered.  
  
"Kaia! What are you doing? You're going to get us all killed, smashed into a wall! Turn and get us out!" I yelled at her, trying to be heard over the sound of the room collapsing. The demon ignored me and kept flying at the wall.  
  
"Don't worry, I trust her!" Kurama yelled in my ear. I looked at him uneasily but shrugged.  
  
"Whatever. As long as we get out alive."  
  
Kaia kept flying at the wall-and suddenly, we were on the other side. I blinked and rubbed my eyes in astonishment.  
  
"What just happened?" I asked dazedly and my voice seemed loud in the sudden quiet.  
  
"I transported us through the wall," Kaia asked, "Please, I need you to get off, the transportation greatly weakened me." We hurried to obey and Kaia returned to her kitten form. She immediately curled up and was asleep in seconds. I shook my head at her and looked around. The room was large, but very cramped compared to the openness of the other room. There were cushions scattered in the room and I grabbed one. I realized that I was exhausted as I suppressed a yawn.  
  
"I'm going to sleep for a while," I informed Kurama and fell asleep on the cushion. 


	7. Capture

I woke up again some time later; there were no windows in the room so I had no idea of knowing what time it was, which unnerved me. I sat up, stretching, and looked for Kaia and Kurama. Kaia was curled up on a little cushion near where my head had been but Kurama was nowhere to be found. I stood up, frowning a little, and looked for an exit, exploring the room some more while I was at it.  
  
I had looked around only quickly when we'd come in, and now it seemed much larger. The room was large, circular, and all white. The cushions scattered all over the room were rich colors like royal purple, navy, crimson, forest green, and black. They were velvety and soft to the touch. I prowled the room, looking for some hidden door, a crack in the wall that would symbolize a way out. There didn't seem to be one, however, after close inspection, I found a trapdoor under one of the cushions. I guessed that Kurama had left through the trapdoor, although why he hadn't woken me up puzzled me.  
  
I opened the trapdoor and stuck my head in, sniffing for any dangerous scents. I didn't smell anything, so I shrugged and lowered myself in slowly. The floor was far enough from the trapdoor that I had to let go of the trapdoor and I landed in a wary crouch. All this was accomplished silently, while I kept all my senses on alert for any sound, movement, or smell that would mean there was someone else in the tunnel that I had landed in. I noticed nothing, so I stood up and walked carefully down the tunnel.  
  
Many twists later, I was thoroughly lost and confused so I sat down, leaning my back against the damp wall of the tunnel. Okay then, what do I do know? I pondered this question while digging holes in the sand on the floor of the tunnel with my heels. Suddenly, the sand gave way under my legs and uncovered a deep pit with spikes at the bottom and more spiky poles hanging from the walls. The sand carried me with it and, as I tried to regain my balance, I flailed my arms and my wrist hit a pole. My reflexes reacted before I could even think and I found myself, when I could process things again, hanging about a foot above the spiked floor, dangling by a pole.  
  
Suddenly, with a funny creaking sound, the pole slid half a foot downwards, bringing me even closer to the dangerous floor. I gulped and tried to change my weight around, hanging now by two poles, one in each hand. They kept shifting, always bringing me closer and closer to what I supposed to be sure death.  
  
A sound above me alerted me to the presence of someone else. Whoever it was laughed, a sound that made me shiver.  
  
"So, Fa-Nari, you have fallen into one of my traps. Pretty nice, isn't it?" A touch of pride entered the otherwise cold voice.  
  
"Who are you?" I demanded angrily, "And what do you want with me? And why did you build this?"  
  
"Well, I won't tell you who I am, and I think you'll find out what I want, but I built this, quite obviously, to catch a certain fox. And it looks like my fox has fallen right in."  
  
I didn't like that tone of voice, but there wasn't much I could do in my present condition, "Whatever, whoever you are, could you at least let me out? My arms are starting to hurt."  
  
The person sighed and a platform was lowered to right under me. I dropped and was instantly bound hand and foot. I growled, struggling to get free, but the bonds held me tightly.  
  
"Don't try to get free, my dear, it won't work." He muttered something and started walking. The floating platform followed him, me still struggling on it. 


	8. Karasu

I wasn't quite sure what happened, but I awoke later to find myself, unbound, in a cage about 50 feet off the ground. After I'd approximated the distance, I retreated to the center of the cage, trying to calm down. I hated heights. I decided instead to survey my cage.  
  
It was just big enough for me to lie down in, but it wasn't comfortable. The walls were hard metal bars, as thick as my fist. There was not enough room even for my slim form to slip through, and no way I could cut through the thick bars. I sighed and slumped back.  
  
A sound somewhere below me alerted me to the fact that there was someone else in the room. I gulped and edged toward the side of the cage and it swayed dangerously. I squeaked involuntarily and the person suddenly appeared in front of me. It was the same man who had tied me to a platform and probably brought me here. I glared at him and he chuckled.  
  
"Now now, is that any way to treat your host?"  
  
I snorted and didn't deign to answer. After a while, however, my curiosity got the better of me, "Who are you? What do you want with me anyway?"  
  
The man looked surprised that I'd said anything and it took him a moment to answer. During this time, I scrutinized him carefully, taking in every detail, testing for a weakness. He was tall, at least 6' 3" and he had long black hair that he left down. The effect made him look like a grasshopper, although I supposed he was attempting to look like a spider. His black eyes gazed at me piercingly, and there was something in the glint in his eyes that I didn't like. I shifted nervously and tried to edge away as he answered,  
  
"I suppose you may call me Karasu." He answered in a cold, lofty voice, "As to what I want, I think you'll see," I shivered as he said that and glared at him. I really didn't like the sound of that. He seemed about to say something but a frantic beeping from a machine down below me sent him shooting downward.  
  
Wonder what that was? Oh well, whatever that is, it got him away from me, so it can't be bad, I decided. A moment later, Karasu and his little platform returned, but instead of looking unruffled like before, Karasu seemed a little worried. I made a note of this and decided to see if I could find out what exactly had made him worried.  
  
"Well, Fa-Nari, it seems that urgent business calls me away from your side, I'm very sorry. But do not worry, I'm sure everything will be fine, I should return in about an hour." With this, he left.  
  
"As if I wanted you to stay," I muttered.  
  
A voice came from near my ear and I jumped as it said, "For your enjoyment, I have provided a screen so you may see what I do to that pathetic partner of yours," and I suddenly realized what the urgent business was. 


	9. Enemies

I sat in my little cage, shivering and waiting for quick death to come to Kurama. I knew there was most likely no way to stop this…whatever he was, most likely some strange demon or other. I wondered that I'd never heard of him before, and I was almost sure Kurama would have told me if he knew—almost.  
  
The screen popped up and it showed a large empty room. I looked closer and saw two figures, one at each end of the room. I recognized the white hair as Kurama's, and then saw the black hair. Karasu. I gulped and tried to close my eyes. They didn't obey me, staying open and fixated on the screen. I resigned myself to watching my best friend die a horrible death, but I was resolved to take it out with that bastard later.  
  
The two figures advanced and the screen zoomed closer, going first to Kurama's calm face, and then to Karasu's. I knew Kurama well enough to see through the calm mask, he was obviously worried—but about what I couldn't tell—and angry. This surprised me- I'd never seen him angry. I decided that I wouldn't ever want to get on his bad side. Karasu's face remained a mystery to me, and I was glad for that small blessing; I was convinced I didn't want to know what went on in the mind of that killer.  
  
They stopped about twenty feet apart and exchanged a few words. I frowned, why were they talking? They were supposed to be fighting! Although, I supposed, it would probably be better to delay my friends' death with conversation…but that wasn't a Kurama thing to do. I waited for them to finish impatiently; I almost wished it was over already. Obviously, someone up there didn't like me, because they talked for a while longer, and as time went on, my stomach cramped up even more. Finally, they stopped talking, and the fight began.  
  
Kurama bowed formally to Karasu, who merely saluted, with a smirk on his face. I growled, that idgit could at least show some respect to the person—or demon—who I hoped would show him a lesson. But there was nothing to do about it, so I watched as they attacked each other, taking note of Karasu's strategy in order to enable myself to teach him a lesson of my own. He seemed to have no weakness I could find on the surface, but as I scrutinized him, I saw a lack of defense when he used his most energy- draining attack. A plan began to form in my mind as they pulverized each other.  
  
But all the tactics I'd come up with disappeared from my mind as I saw energy begin to gather around the black-haired demon. I stared in shock—I could have sworn he was running out of energy! It was obvious that Kurama was getting tired. I realized that I would have to do something soon, or he would die. I reached behind me, searching for the lock, to see if I could pick it and escape. My hand connected with the cold metal bars and I felt around for the door, and then the lock. Finding both, I ran my hands over them to get an idea of what they looked like, since I couldn't turn around to see them.  
  
I watched as both combatants got bloodied and hurt, my mind working frantically. I writhed my hands, slick with blood from the cuts on my wrists, and finally managed to free them. Ignoring the pain, I wrapped my hands around bars and pushed sideways with all my strength. However, the bars only bent slightly. I have to do this, and fast! I thought, closing my eyes and pushing again. The bars bent a little more, but my hands slipped on the bars and hit the metal hard; I heard a snapping sound and gasped in pain, knowing that my arm was broken. I bit my lip, leaning the back of my head against the cold bars, tears of despair threatening my vision.  
  
Suddenly, a sound in front of me made me look down. Hovering in front of me was the most welcome face I'd probably ever see in my life,  
  
"Need some help?"  
  
"Mai-ne! You have no idea how glad I am to see you! And yeah, I do need some help…"  
  
"No problem," the red-haired kitsune smiled and slashed through the bars easily, "Where's Kurama?"  
  
"Fighting Karasu, and we have to get to him now!" I answered in agitation.  
  
Mai-ne nodded, "Can you tell me where?"  
  
I shook my head, tears threatening again, "No, I'm not sure…"  
  
The kitsune's face softened and she put her hand over mine, "Don't worry, we'll find him. And he'll be alive, I swear it," Her face darkened, "or someone will pay. Let's go." I leapt to the floor but cried out as my arm jolted and black spots danced in front of my eyes, "Fa-Nari, are you okay? What happened?"  
  
"My-my arm…I think I broke it." I winced again and Mai-ne was instantly next to me, telling me not to move. I did as she instructed and she healed my arm, "Thanks, now we have to get going." I was so worried I thought I would die. We left the room at a run, following Mai-ne's nose. I'm so lucky she came. I'd be in so much trouble if she wasn't here. Speaking of which, why is she here? I wondered, but decided that now was not the time to ask. 


	10. Battle

We ran for what seemed to be hours, but finally Mai-ne stopped in front of two towering sliding metal doors. I looked up and up and up, feeling dwarfed by the huge gates.  
  
"Is this it?" I asked nervously; if there were two things I hated- besides Karasu of course, and he was definitely a thing-they were feeling short, and not knowing what I was getting into.  
  
Mai-ne nodded, "I'm pretty sure. I can smell them both from somewhere in that vicinity," she replied, nodding her head toward the two doors, "From what I can tell, that's a battle stadium, like they had at the Ankoku Bujutsukai, only it's a private sort of thing. I couldn't figure out a way to get in before I came to get you, but you're a better thief than I am, so I thought you could try."  
  
I shrugged and looked over the doors expertly. I felt under the door and on the sides, checking for obvious locks. Obviously, there weren't any. This was going to be tougher than I thought. Biting my lip, I set to work.  
  
*** *** ***  
  
The final bolt clicked into place and the doors swung open, a few minutes later. I stood up quickly and peered into the room, thanking all the gods I had ever heard of that the doors opened silently. Behind me, I could almost hear Mai-ne straining to see, since the room was dark. We crept in and knelt in the entrance to watch the battle that was now in full swing.  
  
Thankfully, Kurama was holding on well enough, but I could see he was tiring. As for Karasu, it seemed that he was almost uninjured and able to continue for as long as it took to kill my friend. And this, it seemed, wouldn't take as long as I'd hoped, for just then, a particularly nasty bomb of Karasu's hit home and Kurama staggered, and I felt more than heard the cry of pain he suppressed. I winced and sent out a swift prayer to any and every god who might be listening that he survive. I would have rushed into the battle stadium but two things stopped me. One, honor, and knowing that it was against the rules and Karasu would win if I ran in; and two, Mai-ne, who told me with a glance that it would be a very bad idea to go out there.  
  
So I sat there for what seemed like forever as they battled, torn between going to help Kurama and waiting to see things unfold. Some of each combatants attacks hit where they were supposed to, and I bit my lip to keep from cheering. The battle was completely silent, adding to the already escalating strain and tension and I felt so tense, just waiting for something to happen.  
  
Another bomb hit Kurama and he fell, bleeding badly. I bit my lip, knowing that he had to get up. He just had to! Because I knew, if he fell and didn't get up, it would all be over. Karasu was lucky, I guess, because if Kurama were to win, he wouldn't kill him. But if Karasu won, I could see by the look on his face that Kurama would not live very long. Kurama seemed to know it too, for he got up again determinedly and attacked again. In this, he reminded me a little of Yusuke, they shared that same determination, but Kurama thought quite a bit more than the leader of the Reikai Tantei. Which was lucky for him, since Karasu thought a lot more than many demons I knew.  
  
After what seemed like forever, Kurama stood with a painful, agonizing slowness that made my heart ache. I willed him to fight again, willed him to win, and, maybe he heard me, maybe he didn't, but, with a fleeting smile, he raised his head and managed to dodge the next bomb Karasu sent.  
  
Kneeling on the sidelines, hidden with Mai-ne, I watched the two almost evenly matched youkai battle.  
  
"Mai-ne, I feel so helpless! Isn't there anything we can do?" I asked her in a furious whisper.  
  
But she shook her head, "Sorry Fa-Nari, it's an official battle, we aren't allowed to interfere. Whoever wins, wins." But I could tell it took a toll on her too.  
  
The battle continued and for a while, it seemed that Karasu would win. But finally, something snapped in Kurama, and I could never figure out what it was. Regardless, he sent out the Shokuyou butsu ((A/N: for more info on this one, go to: and find more about Kurama)), one of his most powerful attacks, that blasted Karasu across the room. To my immense relief, Karasu didn't move, although I knew he wasn't dead-that would have to wait for another day-and Kurama seemed to detect Mai-ne and I for the first time. Turning to us, I noticed that there seemed to be a glow in his eyes, a ruthless light that surprised me, and yet reminded me of someone.and a time many years ago when that someone (who, curse it, I couldn't remember!) had stood up for me.but then the glow faded and Kurama's eyes returned to normal.  
  
"Fa-Nari, Mai-ne! How did you get here?" Kurama asked us, moving closer, "But wait, before you answer, maybe we should get out of here."  
  
I nodded, "Just what I was going to say." Grabbing his hand and holding tight, I ran out of the battle room, Mai-ne following behind us. 


End file.
